Skip to main content

Sharp mower blades benefit the lawn

Dull blades cause browning of leaf tissue tips

There are many cultural factors that can influence the appearance of the lawn in addition to irrigation and fertilizing.  These consist of proper mowing practices such as proper mowing height and sharpening your mower blades regularly.  Commercial lawn mowing companies sharpen their blades daily and or weekly.  This insures that the blades make a smooth clean cut to the leaf tissue.  Most homeowners fail to keep up with this practice and as a result their lawns can suffer.  As a homeowner mowing your own lawn you should insure that your blades are sharpened every 4 to 5 mowing's or monthly throughout the mowing season.

 Shredded leaf tips from dull mower blades

Dull mower blades can create damaging effects on your lawn.  A dull mower blade shreds the leaf tissue instead of cutting it clean.  This shredding causes damage to the leaf tissue and can leave your lawn with a light brown have color on the surface.  The shredded leaf tissue is also more susceptible to disease and insect damage as well.  Just like an open wound to a human, the rough cut leaf tissue is open for infection from disease spores floating around your lawn.  Disease spores can cause serious damage to your lawn during the hot and humid summer months when leaf tissue slows and disease spores can spread quickly due to less frequent mowing.


Dull blades and cut too short equals a browning lawn in summer


Sharp mowing blades result in a clean cut of leaf tissue when mowing your lawn.  Dull mower blades will also result in a browning effect on the lawn.  The leaf tissue will die back from a rough cut .  This is what results in the browning of the lawn. In extreme cases this can cause the entire leaf shoot to die back or even die off completely requiring a whole new shoot to replace it out of the crown.  This can take weeks to come back and repair leaving your lawn a little browner than usual in the mean time.  Sharpen your mowing blades monthly to avoid unnecessary damage to your lawn this summer.

Please share or follow us on Facebook for more helpful lawn care updates.

Contact us today at:  847-395-0940 or at: group593@lawndoctor.com

www.lawndoctorantioch-waukegan.com  



Or Find us on Facebook
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benefits of Rhizome grasses

Bluegrass and Turf-type Tall Fescue Bluegrass and Turf-type tall fescue grass seed blends are both cool season grasses that can thrive in our cool humid growing zone.  One reason they are so popular in the green industry is because they produce rhizomes as part of their reproductive process.  What does this mean?  It means the plant sends out new shoots below ground to repair itself and reproduce across open areas in the lawn.  The picture above is a patch of lawn that died in the early heat and drought this summer.  As the cooler temperatures of August and September arrived, along with some much-needed rainfall, the surviving bluegrass plants began their process of reproducing.  The result is a fuller appearance of turf that will eventually fill in completely without any over-seeding.  This unique characteristic of these grass types is why experienced turfgrass professionals have preferred them for high-maintenance lawns. Many lawn...
1 comment
Read more

The Importance of Early Spring Pre-Emergent Weed Control

The Key to a Weed-Free Lawn: Early Spring Pre-Emergent Weed Control As the first signs of spring begin to appear, homeowners across the country start dreaming of lush, green lawns. However, achieving that picture-perfect yard requires more than just hope and sunshine. At Lawn Doctor, we know that the secret to a beautiful lawn lies in proactive care, and one of the most crucial steps is early spring pre-emergent weed control. Let's explore why this treatment is so important and how it sets the stage for a successful lawn care season. What is Pre-Emergent Weed Control? Pre-emergent weed control is a preventative measure that targets weed seeds before they have a chance to germinate and grow. Unlike post-emergent treatments that kill existing weeds, pre-emergent herbicides create a barrier in the soil that stops weed seeds from developing into mature plants. The Importance of Timing When it comes to pre-emergent weed control, timing is everything. Early spring application is crucial ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Heat tracking in lawns

We have recently noticed a few instances of a somewhat rare phenomenon in the lawn care industry that we would like to point out in an effort to better communicate to both our customers and those interested in lawn care.  Along with the previously posted summer stress issues for the lawn in this blog, we wanted to bring up a more recent issue which is very rare but is currently a potential for lawns across the Antioch, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Gurnee, Lake Forest and Waukegan area.  This recent phenomenon is referred to by some in the industry as heat tracking. Heat tracking occurs when pressure is applied to the lawn from foot traffic, lawn mowers, fertilizer spreaders or anything else that can compress the leaf tissue down to the ground below.  When  this pressure is applied at the exact time frame (usually early afternoon at the peak heat of the day) that the turf is at its wilting point or entering dormancy stage it breaks the leaf tissue at the base o...
Post a Comment
Read more